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US‐NATO‐EU‐Israeli Military!
Hands off Libya!
The Way I See It
By: Don Currie
Chair Canadians for Peace and Socialism
Editor Focus on Socialism
February 25, 2011
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
This is written as the UN Security Council meets to determine what sanctions to impose on
the Muammar Qaddafi government in Libya. Voices on the liberal social democratic left
including NDP leader Lack Layton have made up their minds and take a view similar to
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the EU to impose a range of sanctions that could
include imposing a no fly zone over Libyan air space. 1
A no fly zone over the sovereign territory of Libya called for by Jack Layton, ADALA 2 and
Professor Michael Byers of the University of British Columbia i would be an act of war. The
only forces capable of imposing a no fly zone over Libyan territory would be a joint US‐
NATO‐French‐Israeli deployment of airpower from NATO bases in Italy, US bases in its
AFRICOM command 3 the Mediterranean 4 , French bases in North Africa 5 and any one of the
several Israeli military airbases. 6
NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen has indicated his readiness to act as an
“enabler” in the event there is an agreement on joint action. 7
While the liberal‐social democrats lend support to the proposals of such friends of the
Libyan people as Italian President Silvio Berlusconi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel,
they ignore the cautionary warnings of Fidel Castro who has expressed concern about a US‐
NATO to intervene and occupy Libya. 8
As the fog of disinformation about events in Libya floods the privately owned and controlled
propaganda networks of western mass media, the one issue of principle around which all
Communists, progressives, peace activists, and genuine internationalists must agree to
unite, and that is to oppose US‐NATO‐EU‐Israeli plans to intervene militarily in the internal
affairs of the Libya.
1
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011‐02‐23/sarkozy‐in‐favor‐of‐eu‐sanctions‐against‐libya‐may‐suspend‐
economic‐ties.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011‐02‐23/sarkozy‐in‐favor‐of‐eu‐sanctions‐against‐libya‐
may‐suspend‐economic‐ties.html
2
http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/8159‐canadian‐arab‐group‐challenges‐harper‐government‐to‐
condemn‐gaddafi‐atrocities.html
3
http://www.africom.mil/
4
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/19/mideast‐unrest‐puts‐us‐military‐access‐in‐jeopardy.html
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/19/mideast‐unrest‐puts‐us‐military‐access‐in‐jeopardy.html
5
http://www.cfr.org/france/french‐military‐africa/p12578
6
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/afbases.html
7
http://www.eubusiness.com/news‐eu/libya‐politics‐nato.8s3
8
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/
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Such a principled stance is the touch stone of internationalism at this time and the only way
to lend credence to expressions of solidarity and support for the just demands of the Libyan
working class and impoverished masses for full employment, peace and people’s
democracy.
To paraphrase the great US heavy weight boxing champion Joe Louis when he defeated the
pro‐Nazi German contender Max Schmeling “... Lots of things wrong with America, but
Hitler ain't going to fix them...” 9
There are lots of things wrong with Libya but a US‐NATO invasion won’t to fix them.
Let Turn Canada!
i
In CBC Vancouver radio interviews on February 24 and 25th Professor Byers called for support for a no‐fly zone
over Libya and possible military intervention to depose Muammar Gaddafi. Professor Byers cited the 1990 UN
bombing of Yugoslavia as an example of the kind of intervention he would support. Byers called for the
deployment of Canadian Forces CF 18’s to the task.
9
http://www.acesmuseum.org/main.html?src=%2F88101%2F32127.html
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